PFF scouting report: Tyler Boyd, WR, Pittsburgh

Below is the PFF draft profile for Pitt’s Tyler Boyd, which incorporates PFF’s college grades and scouting intel from our team of analysts. To see all of PFF’s 2016 scouting reports, click here.

Position fit:

Wide receiver. Spent 318 of his 589 snaps at outside wide receiver, and 223 in the slot

Stats to know:

Dropped just 10 of the 182 catchable passes thrown his way between 2014 and 2015

What he does best:

• Diverse route runner who has success on the majority of routes ran in 2015. Had at least one reception on 13 different routes, with no more than 191 of his receiving yards coming on a single route type
• Despite this, the post was his best route, catching all nine catchable passes thrown his way on posts for 191 yards and two touchdowns
• Smart route runner with good footwork, something that helped him make the reception on 93 percent of the passes thrown his way on hitch routes
• Versatility extends to position too. Spend most of his snaps at outside wide receiver, but also spent 223 snaps in the slot, so should fit most NFL offenses in some way

Biggest concerns:

• Really wasn’t a big play threat in 2015, averaging just 10.0 yards per catch on 94 receptions, with a season-long of 51. Did average 16.1 yards per catch in 2014, but again his season-long wasn’t earth shattering at 53 yards
• Big question on how well he can get separation downfield, caught just four of the 15 passes thrown his way on go-routes
• Ability to make people miss dropped in 2015. Forced nine missed tackles from 78 receptions in 2014, but that dropped to six from 94 this year

Pro Comparison:

Victor Cruz, New York Giants. Injuries have hampered Cruz’s career, but his 2012 and 2013 seasons are what I see as the ceiling for Boyd. Averaging 12.7 and 13.7 yards per catch in those years, Cruz was a solid receiver who wasn’t taking over games, but was a big contributor for the Giants offense. Boyd can be that type of player.

Bottom line:

Jack of all trades, master of none is something which fits quite well with what we’ve seen from Boyd. Outside of his struggles to get separation and win downfield on go-routes, he doesn’t really have a weakness, but there also isn’t anything he’s significantly better at than his peers. While he might not be the type of receiver that a team builds their offense around, he does have the ability to develop into a good second or third option in the NFL.